Kara is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over 15 years of clinical experience. She has a M.S. in Clinical-Counseling Psychology from Illinois State University. She has worked extensively with children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues, often utilizing directive and non-directive play. She has also worked with adults who are dealing with mood and anxiety disorders, including Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder. She approaches treatment from a client-centered perspective, and believes that building a strong therapeutic relationship is an important, foundational step in the therapeutic process, in which everything else is built upon. In addition, she believes in meeting patients where they are at, building upon strengths, teaching new coping skills, and believes in a combination of teaching skills and improving insight into problematic behavior patterns to achieve growth. She has training in use of Cognitive Behavioral therapy and Dialectical Behavior therapy techniques to manage mood, anxiety, anger, and stress. As a mother of two, she has special interest in helping new mothers adjust to the stressors of motherhood, as well as counseling parents seeking to address parenting skills and improve family communication.